I knew this platform was a pretty rock solid method to build and maintain a website but what happened this week with the WooCommerce update to 2.6 from 2.5.5 really put things into perspective.

I use this site to experiment with different combination of plug-ins. My main site Blog.Greenskeeper.Org is really my baby.

The thing that made me sit up and realize how really powerful WordPress is are these wonderful gems — the plug-ins.

Literally they are like an onion. You can build layers upon layers of plug-ins all working together.

With the recent update for WooCommerce my website was sent into a tailspin. Suddenly Http 500 errors were popping up. And to a novice like me I could not even get into the WP dashboard to fix the problem.

Enter tech support. They showed me how to use the File Manager to access the errorlog file of the website and literally view all the errors on the website preventing it from working. Then by moving the folder plug-ins under wpcontent folder out of that folder you can easily remove any plug-in and get your site at least up and functioning -somewhat. The kicker is using the WordPress.Org repository you can install/roll-back a previous version of the plug-in that worked. And in under a half hour get your site back and running properly again.

Meanwhile you can write to the authors of the plug-in culprit and hopefully get an update to remedy the matter.

I get excited when I have the opportunity to play new golf courses in Los Angeles. It ‘s infrequent and therefore fun — it’s a new golf experience to savor.

This opportunity I was afforded to play Via Verde Country Club in lovely San Dimas. San Dimas is a cozy town in the Southeast end of LA County. It’s a sleepy town with decent mix of old and new residential with a great home-town vibe about it.

Let me first preface everything I am going to write about Via Verde. They are currently overseeding so current conditions are not peak.

As Via Verde describes themselves:

Via Verde Country Club was conceived by Vinell Pauley and designed by Bill Bell in the late 1960’s. The Course was designed and built among the rolling Via Verde Hills and was open for play in the spring of 1970. Today Via Verde Retains a strong membership and is well respected among private courses in Southern California.

In a word, I was disappointed. I was expecting country club conditions but I was instead greeted with sanded greens that did not hold their line. The fairways were a little shaggy and the rough was thick and punishing. Personally I liken this to a high-end municipal but even that is suspect.

Don’t get me wrong I really enjoyed the layout. Fairways were narrow and required precise tee shots. In defense of the course that layout was fun. I had to use a variety of clubs off the tee and every ounce of course knowledge is key here; especially which way is downhill since the course winds its way through every dip and valley around the hill the club house sits upon.

I just didn’t care for the conditions we had to play. For the money, it wasn’t worth it and unfortunately I may not have another chance to play here again until invited back again.

So that is it. I could rake into the golf course but at present it’s not their fault. Personally given their reputation I would enjoy another opportunity to play the course when conditions are at their best and they have actual tee boxes you could hit from.

Would I play here again? Yes, BUT only if conditions are at their best. There has to be some kind of value here and until conditions improve — they should — I wouldn’t want to dish out the money and play this course.

Shot 83. And that is with one birdie, one double and one triple. Lost $21 in. $10 Nassau with $1 skins with carry overs and $2 birdies.

Can’t win them all. My major weakness today was putting. I struck the driver and irons well. My fairway woods were dead on target. I swear though my putting was severely lacking. In fact I can honestly say those five strokes ( the double and triple) were because I missed two or three 2 footers.

Overall though if I made at least a bogie for both those holes I could have easily broken 80. I can see my game improving. I can see light at the end of this long tunnel to breaking 80. I just need to get out of my head and let the body do what’s required.

Just taking a break from online sales. It’s a bit of a manpower strain on our resources but long term we are evolving at Greenskeeper.org to become not only a review site but also a concierge for tee times and folks that want to play golf together. It’s a winning combination. Something we have a leg up on the competition.

We have quality and quality always survives over quantity. Just take a look at Wal-Mart versus Target. We know our client base. We understand the concerns of a daily-fee golf course and we know how to meld the two. Watch out Golf-Advisor and Golf-Now we are gunning for you.

Of course I could be just posturing since they are the big ugly gorillas in the room but I for one am undaunted. I think golfers and golf courses alike need what we have to offer. We advise the average golfer where to play. We know when conditions are great.

It’s BIG. Bigger than the palm of my hand BUT I can look at the screen without proving my spectacles above my head. So it’s a win.

No golf though which is a conscious choice. But I still can’t help but to think I should be playing instead of working.

The GK Voucher/player tee times went off without a hitch this week. Great news since this adds an additional revenue stream to the greenskeeper.org stable. It also enhances our value to the golfer members since we only sell small blocks it time individually and when the course typically is in fine shape.

Other businesses are still running fine and profitable. The only question is how long I can keep this harried pace up just to make a buck or two and support those hungry mouths.

We came in 8 under to take second place. The winning team shot 13 under. Met an old classmate Richard Villanueva from SJF.

The only CTP “closest to the pin” I had was quickly won over by someone else. That was the almost ace hole, a 190 yard par 3 uphill into the wind that I struck so well it actually hit the pin and rolled 10 feet away.

Tried to stuff the box at the raffle to win and unfortunately I didn’t win anything – skunked in fact. No 40″ Toshiba LCD television. No new golf bag. Nada. At least it was for a worthy cause.